The official blog of the Durham Bulls, Triple-A affiliate of the Tampa Bay Rays.

Results tagged ‘ Washington Nationals ’

The 2016 MLB *postseason kicks off tonight, as the Orioles and Blue Jays square off in the AL Wild Card Game.

*We say postseason because we don’t consider the Wild Card games the ‘playoffs.’ Sure you’ve made it farther than 20 other teams, but come on, it’s not really the playoffs yet. It’s just a play-in game.

With the start of the postseason, we take a look at all the former Durham Bulls who you might see throughout the month of October

Baltimore Orioles: None

Of note, OF Joey Rickard played in 29 games for the Bulls in 2015 before Baltimore selected him in the Rule V draft. He’s currently on the DL.

David Price looks to return to the World Series with Boston this October

Boston Red Sox: LHP David Price

For all the success Price has had at the big league level, he actually wasn’t all that impressive in Durham at the end of 2008 and beginning of 2009. He went 2-5 with a 4.13 ERA in 12 starts for the Bulls, while striking out a batter an inning.

Chicago Cubs: RHP Jason Hammel, LHP Mike Montgomery, UTL Ben Zobrist

Hammel, a member of the Bulls in 2005, 2006 and 2007 went 12-16 in 47 starts in his time in the Bull City. Across 30 starts for the Cubbies this year, the 34-year-old went 15-10 with a 3.83 in 30 starts.

Montgomery pitched for the Bulls in 2013 and 2014, and was named an IL Midseason All-Star in 2014. After he was traded to the Mariners and subsequently the Cubs, the 27-year-old posted a 2.82 ERA in 17 games (five starts) for the best team in baseball in the regular season.

Zobrist, who spent parts of 2006, 2007 and 2008 in Durham, hit .301 in 99 career games for the Bulls. This year the utility player, reunited with Joe Maddon, hit .272 with 18 homers while playing primarily second base and the outfield.

Cleveland Indians: C Chris Gimenez, OF Brandon Guyer

Gimenez is in the postseason for the second straight year after going with the Rangers a season ago. This year he played in 67 games for the Indians, and he combined to appear in 166 games for Durham in 2012 and 2013.

Guyer was traded to the Indians at the trade deadline this season and went on to hit .333 in 38 games. The outfielder spent parts of three seasons with the Bulls (2011-2013), while also making a five-game rehab stint in 2014.

LA Dodgers: LHP JP Howell, LHP Scott Kazmir

Howell made 31 starts for the Bulls between 2006 and 2007, and returned for a four-game rehab appearance in 2011. The southpaw made 64 relief appearances for the Dodgers this season.

It is unclear if Kazmir will pitch in the postseason after his last start came on Sept. 23. The 32-year-old only ever played for the Bulls on rehab stints, making one appearance each in 2008 and 2009.

Southpaw Adam Liberatore will not pitch for the Dodgers in the postseason, as he will undergo season-ending elbow surgery. Earlier this year the lefty set a franchise record with 28 straight scoreless outings. Liberatore appeared in 113 games for the Bulls from 2012-2014, including a 2014 campaign in which he struck out 86 batters in 65 innings.

NY Mets: None

OF Justin Ruggiano – a member of the All-DBAP team – appeared in eight games for the Mets this year, but hasn’t played in a game since Aug. 26 after undergoing shoulder surgery.

Matt Moore, now with the Giants, seeks his first pennant

San Francisco Giants: LHP Matt Moore

The Giants picked up Moore at the trade deadline, as the lefty went 6-5 with a 4.08 ERA in 12 starts since. Moore has an interesting history in Durham, making 17 starts across the 2011, 2013 and 2015 seasons. He dominated in 2011 (4-0, 1.37), made one rehab start in 2013, then played as both a rostered player and rehab player in 2015.

Texas Rangers: C Robinson Chirinos

Chirinos hit .259 with six homers across 78 games for the Bulls in 2011, before he was traded to Texas at the start of the 2013 campaign. The 32-year-old batted .224 for the AL West Division winners this season.

Toronto Blue Jays: C Dioner Navarro, OF Melvin Upton, Jr.

Navarro split 2016 between the White Sox and Blue Jays, joining Toronto for the stretch run. The 32-year-old hit .284 in 43 games for the Bulls in 2010.

The artist formerly known as BJ opened 2016 with San Diego, but was traded to the Blue Jays in July. Upton debuted with Durham in 2004 at the age of 19, and proceeded to play in 314 games with the Bulls from 2004-2006, while also appearing in two rehab games in 2007.

Washington Nationals: C Jose Lobaton

Traded by the Rays to the Nationals in February of 2014, Lobaton played for the Bulls in both 2010 and 2011, combining to appear in 126 games. The Venezuelan also appeared in four rehab games in 2012.

After a few days of rumors, the deal has come to fruition. 2013 American League Rookie of the Year Wil Myers has reportedly been traded to the San Diego Padres in a three-team deal that also included the Washington Nationals. Prior to his promotion to the Bigs in 2013 though, the Thomasville, N.C. native put on a display in a Bulls uniform, hitting .286-14-57 in 64 games. As Myers departs the Rays organization, we take a look back at his Top 10 moments with the Durham Bulls.

10. In the offseason between the 2013-14 seasons, Myers dropped by the DBAP to check in on the $20 million renovation taking place at the stadium.

A post shared by durhambulls (@durhambulls) on Jun 16, 2013 at 5:35pm PDT

8. When the 2013 Bulls Opening Day roster came to the DBAP for their first workout, Myers, along with fellow top prospect and North Carolina native Chris Archer, had their own private photo shoot… Studs.

7. When he trolled aforementioned Archer during the pitcher’s takeover of the @DurhamBulls feed:

6. The creation of WilVille and other Wil-themed things. When the trade that brought Myers to the Rays system from the Kansas City Royals became official, the Bulls launched the “Wil He, Won’t He” ticket plan when it was unsure if Myers would start the season in Durham or Tampa Bay. The WilVille seating section and t-shirt launched in April of 2013. Then in 2014, when it was announced Myers would be rehabbing but the location was unknown, the team launched the“Wil He, Won’t He Rehab” ticket package.

5. The old saying goes, “In order to have a bobblehead made of you, you gotta be somebody.” Or something like that. Well, Wil Myers got a bobblehead. So by the Transitive Property, he must be somebody. (Also note nod to patented Myers’ bat flip).

4. When he won AL Rookie of the Year honors, a Bulls fan won a signed Fathead. If that’s not hanging in a Man Cave somewhere then it’s not being used properly.

3. While rehabbing in 2014, Myers crushed a grand slam in an Aug. 12 game against the Rochester Red Wings. Was the home run impressive? Sure. Was the grand slam a bonus? Absolutely. But the best part is his smile after the ball comes off the bat. Watch closely at the :40 mark.

2. While rehabbing from a fractured right wrist in 2014, Myers was stoked about a giant graphic of himself in the entrance plaza to the DBAP. Later in the day, he griped to Bulls staff there wasn’t enough “Wil stuff” in the stadium. Upon being reminded of his giant graphic and the fact he graced the cover of the pocket schedule and media guide he smiled and said, “Oh yeah. True.”

Who was two thumbs and is stoked to be back at the ballpark that now features giant window art of his face? Wil Myers pic.twitter.com/6OYe2XXAH4

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